Hullett pleads guilty in U.S.District Court

Hullett, 45, was arrested in summer 2007 by authorities after they discovered that he installed cameras at a Fraternal Order of Police Camp here in Wilson County. The camp is operated by the FOP for disadvantaged children.

During that time frame, Hullett’s employer, the Teamsters, and the FOP were each seeking the right to represent Nashville police officers. Hullett once served as a leader in the Nashville chapter of the FOP.

He was charged with identity theft because he purchased cell phones for others involved in the matter with him but used the name of a police officer who is still on the force.

Hullett’s guilty plea came after his trial started on Tuesday in U.S. District Court in Nashville. Prior to a jury being selected, U.S. District Court Judge William Haynes ruled that Hullett could not defend himself by making a claim that his actions were due to his efforts to prove wrongdoing by others at the camp. He reached a plea agreement with the U.S. Attorney, Ed Yarbrough, after the judge’s decision.

Hullett could face 10-16 months in federal prison, but Haynes could also sentence him to less time or more time. Sentencing is set for April 6.

Hullett is a former Mt. Juliet police officer. He was fired from his position in the mid to late 1980s after an incident involving the towing of a vehicle.

Former Mt. Juliet Police Chief Ted Floyd said as he recalled a citizen left his vehicle parked along the side of the road on Highway 70. The vehicle was partially on the side and partially in the roadway.

Hullett reportedly wrote a citation to the citizen and had the vehicle towed to a local service station.

The citizen went to reclaim the vehicle without Hullett’s knowledge and when the officer determined that the citizen had retrieved his vehicle, Hullett accused the citizen of stealing the car.

The matter eventually led to Hullett’s firing by the City of Mt. Juliet. Hullett filed suit in federal court against the city which was settled in 1989 after the City Commission approved an ordinance to pay him up to $5,000.

Hullett later worked in law enforcement in DeKalb County and then joined the police force in Nashville.

While a Nashville officer, Hullett also was involved in another incident which ironically, involved a Mt. Juliet police official.

In the early 2000s, former Mt. Juliet Police Chief Charles McCrary was arrested in Nashville and charged with DUI. The arresting officer was Hullett.

McCrary pleaded not guilty and was later found not guilty of the charges, Floyd said.

Regarding Hullett’s most recent incident, the Andrew Jackson Lodge of the FOP in Nashville issued a statement from Robert Weaver, president, in which he said, the organization “was glad that Mr. Hullett has taken responsibility for his criminal actions that were intended to sully the name of the FOP Youth Camp. The men and women of this organization have worked many years to benefit the community through our work and the charities we support, specifically the Youth Camp. We look forward to moving forward and continue to build relationships of trust with the community we serve.”

Editor’s Note: Tomi L. Wiley, editor of The Chronicle of Mt. Juliet, contributed to this article.